Pipe-framed, water-traversing vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, having floats and strong, light-weight walls including preferably porous material tie-beams or other tie-members and pipes that are attached to the tie-members, having sealed bottom ends in the floats, and sealingly joined elsewhere by elbow and tee fittings. Preferably, the pipes are of rigid or semi-rigid plastic, but optionally they may be of thin metal or resilient plastic and optionally inflated with gaseous material. Every other horizontal pipe of the lowerdeck frame that is above the under-structure float is joined at its ends by elbows to an upright tube of the float frame; and every other deck pipe that is above the float is joined to a cabin-sidewall tube. This junction between an alternate lowerdeck tube and each sidewall pipe may be by a tee fitting, in which both a sidewall tube and a float tube may be fitted, or optionally by an elbow with no float tube at this point. Each tube of a sidewall is joined in a cabin-framework member to: a pipe of the lower deck; a pipe of the cabin-top upper deck; and a pipe of the opposite sidewall. Exterior and interior skins are fixed to the tie-beams or the like, preferably including metal mesh, preferably nailed or screwed to porous-material beams, and stucco of cement (Portland, epoxy or other cement) and aggregate, troweled or sprayed on the mesh. Between the exterior and interior skins in-situ-placed foamed plastic preferably imbeds the pipes.

United States Patent Moore July 22, 1975 I PIPE-FRAMED, WATER-TRAVERSING and strong, light-weight walls including preferably po- VEHICLE rous material tie-beams or other tie-members and I pipes that are attached to the tie-members, having [76] Inventor Alvin Edward Moore Mamm Y sealed bottom ends in the floats, and sealingly joined Diamondhead, Rt. 1, Bay St. Louis,

elsewhere by elbow and tee fittings. Preferably, the MISS. 39576 pipes are of rigid or semi-rigid plastic, but optionally [22] Filed: Oct. 15, 1973 they may be of thin metal or resilient plastic and op- 21 Appl. No.: 406,576

Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Charles E. Frankfort Attorney, Agent. or FirmAlvin Edward Moore [57] ABSTRACT A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, having floats tionally inflated with gaseous material. Every other horizontal pipe of the lower-deck frame that is above the under-structure float is joined at its ends by elbows to an upright tube of the float frame; and every other deck pipe that is above the float is joined to a cabinsidewall tube. This junction between an alternate lower-deck tube and each sidewall pipe may be by a tee fitting, in which both a sidewall tube and a float tube may be fitted, or optionally by an elbow with no float tube at this point. Each tube of a sidewall is joined in a cabin-framework member to: a pipe of the lower deck; a pipe of the cabin-top upper deck; and a pipe of the opposite sidewall. Exterior and interior skins are fixed to the tie-beams or the like, preferably including metal mesh, preferably nailed or screwed to porous-material beams, and stucco of cement (Portland, epoxy or other cement) and aggregate, troweled or sprayed on the mesh. Between the exterior and interior skins in-situ-placed foamed plastic preferably imbeds the pipes.

25 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 2 2 I975 SHEET F l G F I G. 4-

I I G rmmzmmzz I975 3.895594 SHEET 2 FIG. '7

PIPE-FRAMED, WATER-TRAVERSING' VEHICLE This invention pertains to a safe, very strong, yet light-weight, water-traversing vehicle, capable of lessening or eliminating damage in crashes, buoyant in its walls and easily repairable in the unlikely event of such damage. It may be utilized for water-surface travel or as an aircraft or space vehicle. capable of landing and- /or taking off from water. In some respects it comprises improvements of the inventors prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,622 of Aug. 3, 1971.

This invention has, among other purposes, the following objectives: (1) a relatively light-weight but extremely strong vehicle, adapted to traverse water at least part of the time of its travel; (2) vehicular structure having strong, buoyant wall frames, comprising pipes joined by sealed fittings, pipe-contacting tie members, and vehicle-strength-providing skin means on the tie-members, sheathing the hollow-wall framework; (3) vehicular structure as in (2) above, in which the skin means comprises stucco on mesh; and (4) a vehicle having buoyant cabin-framework and under float structure, comprising pipes and sealed pipe-junction fittings, with every other one of the lower-deck pipes that are directly above the float means being joined to upright float tubes, and every other one of the lowerdeck pipes which are directly above the float means being joined to an upright sidewall pipe. Other objects and the specific structure of the invention will be apparent in the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the framework of the invented vehicle in horizontal section from the plane 1] of FIG. 2 (shown before application of the inner and outer skin means on the lower-deck pipes and of the stucco on the sidewall mesh);

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in section from the vertical planes indicated by the lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view from the plane 33 of FIG. 1, showing a variation of the skin materials of the interior deck, overhead and sidewall skins from those of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view from the plane 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detail view of an optional and currently preferred composite mesh, adapted to be stuccoed in forming the skin means;

FIG. 6, similar to FIG. 4, illustrates an alternative type of the float means, thinner than that of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view from the plane Il of FIG. 2, on a scale enlarged from that of FIGS. 1 to 3, showing an assembly of an apertured pipebracing beam, pipes and skin means fastened to the beam;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7, showing an alternative type of means for bracing and tying the pipes together;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 8, from the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 8, showing another optional type of the pipeconnecting means;

FIG. 10A is a fragmentary detail, reduced-scale view in section from a plane transverse to the pipes, adjacent to an apertured beam, illustrating a variation of the pipe-attachment means of FIGS. 7 to 10;

FIG. 11 is a detail plan view, on a scale enlarged from that of FIG. 10, showing an optional means for holding the rope, cable or other tie of FIG. 10 in tension around the pipes; and

FIG. 12 is a detail view, showing the tie-tensioning means of FIG. 11 in an alternative position between pipes.

The invention includes: pipes; fittings (elbows and/or tecs) fastening the pipes together; pipe tying, connecting and bracing means around the pipes; exterior and interior skin means on the pipes and ties; and, preferably, foamed plastic between the skins and imbedding the pipes. Preferably and as illustrated, the pipes of the side and end walls have upright axes. The pipes of the top deck and lower deck are horizontal and are joined by fittings that are sealed and fastened to the sidewall pipes by bonding material, thus forming spaced sidewall-and-deck framework members. As illustrated, each of these framework members comprises: lower and upper horizontal deck pipes, 1 and 2; two sidewall pipes, 3; two elbows, 4, each joining the top-deck pipe 2 to a sidewall pipe 3; two upright float pipes, 5 (of the two lateral floats); and two tee-fittings 6, each joining the lower-deck pipe 1 to a float tube 5.

Preferably and as shown, a different type of framework member is located between each adjacent pair of these main cabin-wall assemblies. This second type of assembly comprises: a pair of upright float-framework pipes 7 (FIG. 4); a lower-deck pipe 8 (between a pair of the tubes 1); and two elbows 9,joining the float and lower-deck pipes.

The pipes and fittings optionally may be of thin metal; but preferably they are plastic tubes and fittings of the type used in plumbing. When of metal the pipes are sealingly joined by metallic fittings, and the bonding material used may be welding, brazing, solder, lead or epoxy. But when the pipes are of plastic they are bonded to the fittings by epoxy putty, other glue, or if thermoplastic the tubes and fittings optionally may be joined by welding of the thermoplastic material.

Ties bracingly connect together the pipes of each of the side and end walls and preferably also of each of the decks. These tie elements serve three purposes: (1) they brace and bridge over the pipes, (2) they are fastened to and help hold in fixed positions the exterior and interior boat skins; and (3) they serve as filler pieces, at intervals filling out space between the skins and the pipes, at least equal to the distance the fittings and pipe-end caps project beyond the peripheries of the pipes. This third purpose is desirable because this thickness of the end caps and the elbows 9 and tees 6 causes part of the mesh or other first-applied portion of the skin means to be clear of portions of the pipes.

Three optional forms of these ties are shown in FIGS. 6 to 12. The type of tie-element illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 is an apertured beam for example the tie-beam 10 or the beam 28. This beam or stringer may be of metal; but preferably it is of a porous material which frictionally holds nails or screws, for example: wood; Masonite or other pressed-wood; or molded plastic, containing enough fibers, sawdust or other poreforming agents to make the material strongly retentive of nails or screws. Pipe-retaining apertures (holes or curved recesses), 12, are formed in the beam; if in wood they may be drilled or punch-cut or sawed; if in pressed wood or plastic they may be formed by core elements in the pressing or molding operation, or later drilled or cut out. Other holes, 13, formed like 12, are for flow of poured-in-situ foamed-plastic liquids from one side of the beam to the other.

The pipe-tying means exampled in FIG. 8 comprises pairs of adjacent, opposite, resilient pieces 14, bent over the pipes and bolted together by the bolts or other rod-like elements 15. The resilient material of these pieces may be plastic (optionally reinforced by fibers) or thin lumber or plywood. They optionally may be relatively narrow strips of the type indicated in FIG. 9, or much wider pieces.

The tie 16 of FIGS. 10 to 12 comprises a flexible rope, band, cable or the like which extends on both sides of pipes of the side and end walls, or of each deck, or of each float. Its ends are fastened together, forming an endless tie, by a connector or attachment element which tautly holds the flexible element in tension around the pipes. As illustrated in FIG. 10, showing a rope or very flexible narrow band, this connector is a knot, including, for example, a round turn and half hitch. The rope or band has a loop, 17, by which it is initially fastened to one of the pipes. Then it is wound in zigzag convolutions around the pipes (its staggered nature permitting it to serve as a space-filler on both the exterior and interior sides of the pipes); its free-end portion is pulled taut, tensed by snubbing it around a pipe; the connector-knot is formed; and epoxy putty or other pasty cement, 18, is daubed on the knot. The attachment element illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 is a turnbuckle, 19, which may be used with a rope, cable, band, wire, chain or the like. In FIG. 11 the turnbuckle is in the general position occupied by the knot of FIG. 10. But in FIG. 12 the turnbuckle is at a position indicated in FIG. 10 at T; when it is in this position, the loop 17 is eliminated, and the turnbuckle connects the two ends of the flexible element in an endless tie.

FIG. 10A illustrates an optional variation of the beam or stringer of FIG. 7, in which the pipe-retaining apertures are not annular but instead are segments of circles or the like, the beam having edge portions, defining each aperture, which do not encompass the entire periphery of the pipe at that aperture. When the beam material is wood or plywood and the apertures are not formed by a cutting die in a punch press this recess or segmental type of aperture has an advantage of being easily sawed out.

Because the pipes in this modification project beyond one of the curved edges of the beam a filler element, of a thickness at least equal to that of the projection of the fittings on each pipe beyond its curvature, in some instances is desirable. Such a filler element is shown in FIG. 10A at 20. This may be a strip (rope or band) of the type shown at 16 in FIG. 10 or a strip like 14 of FIG. 9. The rod-like elements 22 (nails, screws, looped wires or bolts) are extended thru the auxiliary tie and into the tie-beam material. When the element is like 16, preferably two such rod-like elements are used between each adjacent pair of the pipes; but when it is like 14, preferably only one such rod-like element is placed at a middle location between each pair of the tubes. Although a turnbuckle or knot may be used with the auxiliary tie 20, when it is like 16, its tie-tensioning means preferably comprises only the rod-like elements 22, including those at contiguous or adjacent ends of the looped, flexible tie.

In the assembly of the elements of FIG. 10A, considering for example substantially vertical boat-wall pipes,

the desired number of them for a sidewall or end-wall framework are held in upright position in a fixture; and a horizontal pair or trio of aligned pipe clamps of known type are placed around the pipes in location just below the desired position of a beam. Then the beam is threaded down on the pipes until it rests on the clamps in its planned position; the tie-element 20 is nailed, screwed or bolted to the beam; and epoxy putty or other pasty adhesive or bonding material is applied on the upper edges of the aperture and forced downward into the clearance at these edges and into the adjacent gap between the tie and pipe. After the bonding material sets the clamps are removed. Such temporarily-positioned clamps also may be used in the assembly of the elements of FIG. 7.

When the recesses or segmental apertures have an area of only half or less than half that of a circle, the edges of each aperture not being reentrant at the pipes projection beyond the aperture, these edges may be coated with epoxy putty or other pasty bonding material; and the beam then may be laterally moved into position above the clamps. But when these curved edges encompass the pipe, for example as in FIG. 7, or are reentrant at the pipes projection beyond the aperture as in FIG. 10A, the beams are vertically threaded into the apertures until they rest on the fittings or else on the above-described clamps.

The upright float pipes 5 and 7, as well as the beam apertures in which they are held, optionally may be staggered as indicated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. But to provide thinner floats, as shown in FIG. 6, the axes of these pipes may be aligned.

The assembly of the vehicle, with use of tie-beams of the type of FIG. 7 or FIG. 10A, may include the following steps:

I The two tie-beams 24 of the two floats are horizontally placed in a fixture, spaced by their correct distance apart.

2. The framework of the floats and lower deck, which has been made in sub'assembly operation, is installed. This framework comprises: (A) the pairs of upright float pipes S and the pairs of float pipes 7, preferably sealed at both ends by caps 26 and 27; (B) when the floats are deep, an optional, co-level pair of intermediate, apertured tie-beams of the type shown at 28, has been threaded onto middle portions of the float pipes (above pipe clamps, temporarily placed on the pipes or fixture uprights temporarily supporting the beams in position) and bonded in equally-spaced-apart positions by epoxy putty or other bonding material; (C) the lower-deck pipes 1 and 8, each of the tubes 8 being between an adjacent pair of the tubes 1; (D) the apertured, fore-and-aft tie-beams 29, 30 and 31 and the two apertured transverse beams 32, fastened to the beams 29 and 30 by epoxy or other bonding material and optional splicing plates and bolts; (E) the tees 6, sealingly bonded on ends of the pipes 1 and on ends of the tubes 5, with upper portions of the tees temporarily open; and (F) the elbows 9, sealingly bonded on upper ends of the pipes 7 and on ends of the tubes 8. This subassembled framework is moved into position over the two tie-beams 24; and the lower, capped ends of the tubes 5 and 7 are fitted and bonded by epoxy putty or other bonding material in the apertures of the beams 24. (When these apertures are segmental, the pipes are preferably further fastened to the beams by the auxiliary ties 20.)

3. The lower ends of the cabin-sidewall pipes '3 are fitted in and sealingly bonded to upper parts of the tees 6 of both floats, and the lower ends of the end-wall pipes 33 are fastened in the apertures of the beams 32 by attachment means which includes bonding material.

4. The intermediate tie-beams 28 and 34 are threaded on the pipes 33 and 3, each into place above temporarily-positioned, co-level pipe clamps or removable fixture elements, and fastened to the tubes by epoxy putty or other bonding material. These beams may be individually placed, and then their abutting end portions bonded and/or plate-spliced together. But preferably a pair of quadrilateral units of the beams 28 and 34 have been sub-assembled, and in this step (4) these units are successively threaded down until they rest on temporarily positioned pipe clamps or removable fixture elements and are bonded in place on the pipes 3 and 33. (One of these two quadrilateral units is not seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 because they are in the broken-away parts of these views.) Each unit comprises a pair of fore-and-aft beams 34 and a pair of transverse beams 28, with their abutting edge surfaces joined by epoxy or other bonding material and each of their four joints preferably further strengthened by a flat cornerreinforcing plate or a pair of small splicing plates and bolts extending thru the plates and thru the beams that are between the plates.)

5. The top pipe-and-beam framework is installed. This framework comprises: four co-level, apertured, pipe-holding and skin-securing tie beams (the two side beams 36 and two end beams 37, fastened together at abutting edges of their end portions by epoxy or other bonding material and/or splicing, corner-reinforcing plates and bolts); the two beams 38 (FIG. 3) that are orthogonally fastened by rod-like elements and/or bonding material to the beams 36; the two beams 39 that are similarly fastened to the beams 37; the elbows 4; the transverse top-deck pipes 2, having ends that are sealingly bonded in the elbows 4; and intermediate apertured tie-beams, similar to 31, threaded on the pipes 2. This top framework is brought over the upright pipes 3 and 33, and the apertured tie-beams 36 and 37 are fitted over these pipes and bonded to them, over temporarily-placed pipe clamps, or else movable fixture parts which hold the beams in proper positions until the bonding material sets.

6. Exterior and interior skins of one of the optional above-described types are formed on and fastened to outer and inner edges of the tie-beams. Preferably, at least the exterior skins comprise stucco, including fibers or aggregate and portland, epoxy or other cement, troweled or sprayed on mesh, and optionally the interior skins also may include stucco on mesh. This mesh is preferably metallic, and as illustrated in FIG. 5 preferably comprises a layer or lapstreak layers of hardware cloth 40, which is stretched around the vehicular framework and fastened to the tie-beams by nails, screws or bolts, and over this metallic-cloth mesh a layer of larger-mesh fencing 42 (for example, diamondmesh poultry-fence material) is stretched and also fastened by rod-like elements to the tie-beams. Optionally, both the hardware cloth and the fencing may be additionally fastened on the framework by passing the bolts 44 from the outside thru the exterior-wall and interior-wall layers of the mesh and screwing nuts tightly on the bolts at the inside-wall network. These bolts preferably fit in the parts of the diamond-shaped poultry-wire mesh where the wires are close together in a corner, so that the bolt heads and the nuts clamp between them both layers of the fencing (at opposite edges of the tie-beams), as well as both layers of the hardware cloth. In stuccoing, the smaller mesh of the hardware cloth stops excessive penetration inward of the relatively heavy stucco, while the large-mesh, relatively large-wire of the poultry-type fencing well reinforces the set stucco.

When the apertures of the tie-beams have curved outlines that are not reentrant at one beam edge, the beams are shoved laterally into place on the pipes, thus eliminating the need of threading the apertures on the pipes; and in this event all the ends of the pipes may be sealed by standard-type caps 26. Such flanged caps also may be used for sealing all the pipe ends when the intermediate tie-elements are of one of the types shown in FIGS. 8 to 12.

Various changes may be made within the scope of the following claims. For instance, when the tie-beam apertures are so cut or formed that they are practically but not quite circular and the vehicularly inner peripheries of the pipes in these apertures are substantially flush with the vehicularly inner edge of the beam, the interior skins may be sheets of plastic or plywood (of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4), nailed or otherwise fastened to and flush with inner edges of the tie-beams; and the outer skin may be of mesh and stucco or other skin material.

In the claims, unless otherwise specified: aperture" means: a hole in a beam that is entirely surrounded by beam material or a recess extending inward from an edge of a beam that is only partly surrounded by the beam material; cable means: a rope, cord, wire, bundle of wires or chain; the term rod-like elements signifies: nails, screws or bolts; bonding material: adhesive, welding, brazing, solder or the like; plastic: synthetic or natural plastic, with or without reinforcing fibers or the like; stucco means: aggregate or fibers or the like mixed with cement (Portland cement or Portland cement mixed with lime, lime, epoxy, or other cement); and the term gaseous material means: gas, mixture of gases, gas mixed with insulating fibers or other particles; or gas-cell-containing foamed plastic.

I claim:

1. A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, including:

buoyant, vehicle-strength-providing body framework, including a plurality of juxtaposed, quadrilateral, tubular framework members, encompassing a load-containing space, each of said members comprising: four elongated, end-joined pipes, having axes at angles to each other; a pair of elbow fittings joining ends of one of said pipes to the adjacent ends of two other pipes; two junction fittings connecting ends of a fourth pipe to the ends opposite to said adjacent ends of said other two pipes; one of said four pipes in each of said quadrilateral members being a substantially horizontal lowerdeck pipe; bonding material between and connecting each of said fittings and the pipe ends associated with it; tie-members extending across said framework members and means connecting said tie-members to said pipes, each of said pipes having at least a part of its periphery contiguous to portions of said tie-members;

other substantially horizontal deck pipes. each of which lies between a pair of said first-named lowerdeck pipes;

float-framework means below said body framework,

including: a plurality of of float pipes, connected to said other deck pipes; junction fittings between said float pipes and said other deck pipes; and bonding material between and connecting each of said last-named junction fittings and one of said other deck pipes;

exterior, waterproofed skin means, adjacent to said pipes and tie-members, contiguous to said tie members; and

interior skin means on said pipes and tie-members,

contiguous to tie members;

each of said fittings including portions projecting beyond pipe peripheries a distance equal to the maximum thickness of the fitting around adjacent pipes; and each of said tie-members having portions projecting beyond pipe peripheries an amount at least substantially equal to said distance.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: the said first-named junction fittings are tees; the said floatframework means includes a float framework on each side of the vehicle, each said framework comprising a plurality of said float pipes which are upright, and further including: other upright float pipes, each of the said other float pipes having an upper end connected to a lower portion of one of said tees; and bonding material between and connecting said lower tee portions and upper float-pipe ends.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which the material of said pipes is plastic, and the vehicle further includes foamed plastic between said exterior and interior skin means, each of the said pipes being imbedded in said foamed plastic, and gaseous material in each of said pipes.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: said tiemembers comprise tie-beams of vehicle-strengthproviding material, having apertures; peripheral portions of the said pipes are located within said apertures; and the said means connecting said tie-members and pipes includes bonding material between the pipes and the edge surfaces of said beams that define said apertures.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4, in which: the said pipes are annular in cross section; the said edge surfaces encompass peripheries of the pipes; and each of said tie-beams has an edge portion of the beam material, between said edge surfaces of each aperture and an edge of the beam on each of its sides, having a width at said exterior skin means and at said interior skin means which is substantially equal to said distance.

6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4, in which: the said edge surface of each of said apertures only partly encompasses the periphery of the pipe in that aperture.

7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 6, in which said tiemembers further include auxiliary, flexible tieelements, encompassing said load-containing space, comprising means for holding surfaces of the tie elements in close contiguity to peripheral portions of each of said pipes.

8. A vehicle as set forth in claim 7, in which: each of said flexible tie-elements comprises a cable; and the said means for holding surfaces of the tie-element in close contiguity to pipe portions includes means joining ends of said cable, holding it in tension.

9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said tiemembers comprise: flexible tie-means, tying said pipes together, encompassing said load-containing space; and connecting means for holding surfaces of said flexible tiemeans in contiguity to peripheral portions of pipes of each of said quadrilateral framework members.

10. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which said tie means comprises a cable, and said connecting means joins end portions of said cable. I

11. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said connecting means comprises a turnbuckle.

12. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said cable is sinuous and is in contact with outer and inner portions of said pipes.

13. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said cable is a rope and said connecting means includes a knot in said rope.

14. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which: said flexible tie-means comprises at least one strip of resilient material.

15. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which: said tie-means comprises pairs of resilient strips, one strip of each pair being on outer sides of pipes of said body framework, and the other strip of each pair being on inner sides of body-framework pipes; and said connecting means includes rod-like elements, each extending thru opposite strips of one of said pairs of strips and fastening said opposite strips together, in clamping relationship with the pipes that are between the opposite strips.

16. A vehicle as set in claim 1, in which:

two of the pipes in each of said quarilateral framework members are upright, tubular ribs at sides of said vehicle;

the said tie-members include: two lower fore-and-aft tie beams and two lower vehicularly transverse tie beams and means connecting end portions of said tie-beams together in a substantially horizontal, lower, tie-beam unit, the said fore-and-aft tiebeams having apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to peripheral portions of lower parts of said tubular ribs; two upper fore-and-aft tie-beams and two upper transverse tie-beams and means connecting end portions of said upper tie-beams together in a substantially horizontal, upper, tie-beam unit, the said fore-and-aft upper tie-beams having apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to upper peripheral parts of said tubular ribs;

the said body framework further includes upright end-wall pipes;

the said transverse beams have apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to upper peripheral parts of said end-wall pipes; and

the said tie-members further include intermediate tie-elements, between said upper and lower tiebeam units, extending around said load-containing space, reinforcingly connecting said upright tubular ribs and end-wall pipes.

17. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: said tie members are substantially horizontal; said junction fittings are tees, in which ends of said fourth pipe and said other two pipes are fitted; and the said pipes of the float-framework means are upright and have upper ends within said tees; and said vehicle includes bonding material between each of said tees and upper ends.

18. A vehicle as set forth in claim 17, in which said exterior skin means comprises mesh and stucco on said mesh.

19. A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, including:

body framework, comprising substantially parallel.

quadrilateral tie-beam assemblies. each of which includes: four tie-beams of porous, vehiclestrength-providing material; means connecting abutting end portions of said tie-beams together. the said tie-beams having pipe-holding apertures; pipes extending between said assemblies, having peripheral portions that are contiguous to the edge portions of said beam material that define said apertures, the said pipes being arranged in substantially parallel, buoyant, vehicular-framework units, each of said units including: at least four of said pipes; at least two elbow fittings, joining the opposite ends of one of said pipes to ends of two others of said pipes; at least two tee fittings, joining the opposite ends of a fourth one of said pipes to ends of said two others of the pipes;

float-framework means, including: pipes having ends that are in portions of said tee fittings; and bonding material, connecting said last-named pipe ends and said tee fittings;

exterior, waterproof skin means on and contiguous to said tie-beams; and

connecting means extending from said skin means and into said porous-material beams, fastening the skin means to said tie-beams.

20. A vehicle as set forth in claim 19, further including: interior skin means on and contiguous to said tiebeams; and foamed plastic between said exterior and interior skin means, the said pipes being imbedded in said foamed plastic.

21. A vehicle as set forth in claim 19, in which said exterior skin means comprises mesh and stucco on said mesh.

22. A vehicle as set forth in claim 21, in which said mesh includes a layer of metallic hardware cloth and a layer of metallic fencing network on said hardware cloth.

23. A vehicle, adapted to traverse water, including:

vehicle framework, comprising: a plurality of spaced tie-beams of porous, vehicle-strength-providing material, capable of being penetrated by and holding fastening means, each of said beams having a plurality of recesses extending inward from a recessed one of the side-edges of the beam and spaced from the other side-edge of the beam, the said recesses being in the form of a segment of an annulus; a plurality of elongated pipes of vehiclestrength-providing material, extending transversely to said beams, each of said pipes having a periphery contiguous at spaced points to an aligned, spaced group of said recesses; means attaching each of said pipes to beams, in position against said aligned, spaced group of the recesses, said attaching means comprising strips and fastening means extending from said strips into said porous material; and pipe fittings connecting groups of said pipes together;

waterproofed, exterior vehicle-skin material and means fastening it to said framework; and interior-vehicle-skin material and means fastening it to said framework.

24. A vehicle as set forth in claim 23, in which said means fastening the pipes against said recesses comprises an auxiliary tie-element and means fastening said tie-element to said recessed edge.

25. A vehicle as set forth in claim 24, in which: the vehicle further includes foamed plastic between said skins and in contact with said pipes; and the said skin material comprises mesh and stucco on the mesh. 

1. A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, including: buoyant, vehicle-strength-providing body framework, including a plurality of juxtaposed, quadrilateral, tubular framework members, encompassing a load-containing space, each of said members comprising: four elongated, end-joined pipes, having axes at angles to each other; a pair of elbow fittings joining ends of one of said pipes to the adjacent ends of two other pipes; two junction fittings connecting ends of a fourth pipe to the ends opposite to said adjacent ends of said other two pipes; one of said four pipes in each of said quadrilateral members being a substantially horizontal lower-deck pipe; bonding material between and connecting each of said fittings and the pipe ends associated with it; tie-members extending across said framework members and means connecting said tiemembers to said pipes, each of said pipes having at least a part of its periphery contiguous to portions of said tiemembers; other substantially horizontal deck pipes, each of which lies between a pair of said first-named lower-deck pipes; float-framework means below said body framework, including: a plurality of of float pipes, connected to said other deck pipes; junction fittings between said float pipes and said other deck pipes; and bonding material between and connecting each of said last-named junction fittings and one of said other deck pipes; exterior, waterproofed skin means, adjacent to said pipes and tie-members, contiguous to said tie-members; and interior skin means on said pipes and tie-members, contiguous to tie members; each of said fittings including portions projecting beyond pipe peripheries a distance equal to the maximum thickness of the fitting around adjacent pipes; and each of said tie-members having portions projecting beyond pipe peripheries an amount at least substantially equal to said distance.
 2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: the said first-named junction fittings are tees; the said float-framework means includes a float framework on each side of the vehicle, each said framework comprising a plurality of said float pipes which are upright, and further including: other upright float pipes, each of the said other float pipes having an upper end connected to a lower portion of one of said tees; and bonding material between and connecting said lower tee portions and upper float-pipe ends.
 3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which the material of said pipes is plastic, and the vehicle further includes foamed plastic between said exterior and interior skin means, each of the said pipes being imbedded in said foamed plastic, and gaseous material in each of said pipes.
 4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: said tie-members comprise tie-beams of vehicle-strenth-providing material, having apertures; peripheral portions of the said pipes are located within said apertures; and the said means connecting said tie-members and pipes includes bonding material between the pipes and the edge surfaces of said beams that define said apertures.
 5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4, in which: the said pipes are annular in cross section; the said edge surfaces encompass peripheries of the pipes; and each of said tie-beams has an edge portion of the beam material, between said edge surfaces of each aperture and an edge of the beam on each of its sides, having a width at said exterior skin means and at said interior skin means which is substantially equal to said distance.
 6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4, in which: the said edge surface of each of said apertures only partly encompasses the periphery of the pipe in that aperture.
 7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 6, in which said tie-members further include auxiliary, flexible tie-elements, encompassing said load-containing space, comprising means for holding surfaces of the tie elements in close contiguity to peripheral portions of each of said pipes.
 8. A vehicle as set forth in claim 7, in which: each of said flexible tie-elements comprises a cable; and the said means for holding surfaces of the tie-element in close contiguity to pipe portions includes means joining ends of said cable, holding it in tension.
 9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which said tie-members comprise: flexible tie-means, tying said pipes together, encompassing said load-containing space; and connecting means for holding surfaces of said flexible tie-means in contiguity to peripheral portions of pipes of each of said quadrilateral framework members.
 10. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which said tie means comprises a cable, and said connecting means joins end portions of said cable.
 11. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said connecting means comprises a turnbuckle.
 12. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said cable is sinuous and is in contact with outer and inner portions of said pipes.
 13. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10, in which said cable is a rope and said connecting means includes a knot in said rope.
 14. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which: said flexible tie-means comprises at least one strip of resilient material.
 15. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, in which: said tie-means comprises pairs of resilient strips, one strip of each pair being on outer sides of pipes of said body framework, and the other strip of each pair being on inner sides of body-framework pipes; and said connecting means includes rod-like elements, each extending thru opposite strips of one of said pairs of strips and fastening said opposite strips together, in clamping relationship with the pipes that are between the opposite strips.
 16. A vehicle as set in claim 1, in which: two of the pipes in each of said quarilateral framework members are upright, tubular ribs at sides of said vehicle; the said tie-members include: two lower fore-and-aft tie beams and two lower vehicularly transverse tie beams and means connecting end portions of said tie-beams together in a substantially horizontal, lower, tie-beam unit, the said fore-and-aft tie-beams having apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to peripheral portions of lower parts of said tubular ribs; two upper fore-and-aft tie-beams and two upper transverSe tie-beams and means connecting end portions of said upper tie-beams together in a substantially horizontal, upper, tie-beam unit, the said fore-and-aft upper tie-beams having apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to upper peripheral parts of said tubular ribs; the said body framework further includes upright end-wall pipes; the said transverse beams have apertures defined by edge portions of the beam material that are contiguous to upper peripheral parts of said end-wall pipes; and the said tie-members further include intermediate tie-elements, between said upper and lower tie-beam units, extending around said load-containing space, reinforcingly connecting said upright tubular ribs and end-wall pipes.
 17. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which: said tie members are substantially horizontal; said junction fittings are tees, in which ends of said fourth pipe and said other two pipes are fitted; and the said pipes of the float-framework means are upright and have upper ends within said tees; and said vehicle includes bonding material between each of said tees and upper ends.
 18. A vehicle as set forth in claim 17, in which said exterior skin means comprises mesh and stucco on said mesh.
 19. A vehicle, adapted for travel over water, including: body framework, comprising substantially parallel, quadrilateral tie-beam assemblies, each of which includes: four tie-beams of porous, vehicle-strength-providing material; means connecting abutting end portions of said tie-beams together, the said tie-beams having pipe-holding apertures; pipes extending between said assemblies, having peripheral portions that are contiguous to the edge portions of said beam material that define said apertures, the said pipes being arranged in substantially parallel, buoyant, vehicular-framework units, each of said units including: at least four of said pipes; at least two elbow fittings, joining the opposite ends of one of said pipes to ends of two others of said pipes; at least two tee fittings, joining the opposite ends of a fourth one of said pipes to ends of said two others of the pipes; float-framework means, including: pipes having ends that are in portions of said tee fittings; and bonding material, connecting said last-named pipe ends and said tee fittings; exterior, waterproof skin means on and contiguous to said tie-beams; and connecting means extending from said skin means and into said porous-material beams, fastening the skin means to said tie-beams.
 20. A vehicle as set forth in claim 19, further including: interior skin means on and contiguous to said tie-beams; and foamed plastic between said exterior and interior skin means, the said pipes being imbedded in said foamed plastic.
 21. A vehicle as set forth in claim 19, in which said exterior skin means comprises mesh and stucco on said mesh.
 22. A vehicle as set forth in claim 21, in which said mesh includes a layer of metallic hardware cloth and a layer of metallic fencing network on said hardware cloth.
 23. A vehicle, adapted to traverse water, including: vehicle framework, comprising: a plurality of spaced tie-beams of porous, vehicle-strength-providing material, capable of being penetrated by and holding fastening means, each of said beams having a plurality of recesses extending inward from a recessed one of the side-edges of the beam and spaced from the other side-edge of the beam, the said recesses being in the form of a segment of an annulus; a plurality of elongated pipes of vehicle-strength-providing material, extending transversely to said beams, each of said pipes having a periphery contiguous at spaced points to an aligned, spaced group of said recesses; means attaching each of said pipes to beams, in position against said aligned, spaced group of the recesses, said attaching means comprising strips and fastening means extending from said strips into said porous material; and pipe fittings connecting groups of said pipes togetheR; waterproofed, exterior vehicle-skin material and means fastening it to said framework; and interior vehicle-skin material and means fastening it to said framework.
 24. A vehicle as set forth in claim 23, in which said means fastening the pipes against said recesses comprises an auxiliary tie-element and means fastening said tie-element to said recessed edge.
 25. A vehicle as set forth in claim 24, in which: the vehicle further includes foamed plastic between said skins and in contact with said pipes; and the said skin material comprises mesh and stucco on the mesh. 